This woman is shopping for coffee at T.J. Maxx???
P-A-L-E-E-Z-E!!! What a boop!
Posted on 06/08/2007 4:42:27 PM PDT by TornadoAlley3
WATERTOWN, N.Y. - A woman who claims she was used as unknowing bait to catch a man taking photographs up women's skirts is suing retailer T.J. Maxx. Svetlana Van Buren said store personnel surreptitiously videotaped a man taking photos up her skirt while she was shopping for coffee at the company's store in Watertown on June 14, 2006.
It was only after the man committed the crime that store personnel told her the photos had been taken and that the act was caught on tape, said Van Buren, a psychologist who was working at a state-run facility for youths at the time and now lives in Omaha, Neb. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in the Jefferson County Clerk's office.
Officials at TJX Companies, Inc., of Framingham, Mass., which operates the T.J. Maxx chain, were not immediately available for comment.
The lawsuit contends that the store and law enforcement officials knew the man "secretly stalked" female customers for the purpose of taking upskirt photos, but did nothing to prevent it from happening to Van Buren.
T.J. Maxx should have used either a private female detective, a policewoman or a female employee who consented to being photographed to set a trap for the man, the lawsuit said.
Van Buren claims the incident has caused her physical and psychological pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. She said she has experienced sleeplessness, anxiety, depression and feelings of stress and violation, prompting her to seek professional help. She blames T.J. Maxx for, among other things, making her the victim of a crime without her consent and violating her privacy rights. She claims the store failed to provide her with a safe environment and failed to stop a crime from being committed against her when it could have.
Her suit does not specify an amount in damages being sought.
The lawsuit does not name Jeremiah Williams, a Watertown man who was arrested outside T.J. Maxx the same day Van Buren was photographed. Williams was sentenced in February to two to four years in state prison for second-degree unlawful surveillance. Police accused Williams of taking more than 700 upskirt photos of women in public places with plans to start an Internet business with the shots.
Why sue someone with empty pockets?
Yeah, I am sure this lawsuit has nothing to do with money.
Entrepreneur stopped in his tracks..... what an idiot!
Assuming she was wearing underwear, what in the world is this lady suffering from? I also assume that the police arrested this guy before the photos were posted on the internet.
This woman is shopping for coffee at T.J. Maxx???
P-A-L-E-E-Z-E!!! What a boop!
And one more thing: now that she's brought all this attention to herself, I'm wondering if her legs were worth the trouble. I am sure I'm not alone.
Must be the wife of an attorney or have a relative that enjoys law suits for the vicarious thrill.
I think she’s a little too tender and delicate, she shouldn’t be running around loose, better institutionalize her now.
who shops for coffee at TJMaxx?
I hope she gets a zillion bucks....
and for the people who think this is not a crime, then please, go stand on the corner of downtown Harlem at 1 am so the police can see if anyone kills you.....
*PING* ;-)
No one is saying it was not a crime, but she is not suing the person who committed the crime. I would award her a $1.
Thanks for the ping!
Now I will have to go off and hide.
You’re an idiot.
I'll call off my legal beagle: Your apology is accepted in full! LOL!
Why should the store pay her a dime? They are not the perpetrator of the crime she was subjected to.
This is a punitive lawsuit that will cause other stores to forgo any attempt to stop such behavior - after all, if TJ MAXX has to pay for helping to catch the pervert, then other stores will be similarly extorted.
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